The 79-year-old Riley was an assistant with the Lakers from 1979 to 1981 under Paul Westhead. Los Angeles won a championship in 1980, then Riley took over as head coach when Westh

Zachary Weinberger is a credentialed Miami Heat reporter and an Associate Editor covering the NBA at-large, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball for ClutchPoints. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022, covering sports at the FAU University Press and later at The Palm Beach Post.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers will honor former coach Pat Riley with a statue outside their downtown arena.

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley has earned another honor, this time from the Los Angeles Lakers, and he's grateful for the opportunity.

Magic Johnson and other Showtime Los Angeles Lakers legends joined Jeanie Buss to tell Pat Riley that he would be honored with a statue.

The eighth Laker to be commemorated in Star Plaza, Riley will join Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West. Set for completion in 2026, the Lakers will announce the official unveiling date at a later time.

Pat Riley, famed Lakers coach, will receive the same recognition players like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson have, a statue at Crypto.com Arena.

Just a few weeks after the Heat dedicated its home court to Pat Riley, he learned that he will also be honored on the West Coast for his work with the Lakers.

The Miami owner has been an important figure in almost 25% of all NBA Finals appearances, whether it has been as an executive, a player or a coach.

"The Godfather" reflects on his journey after the Lakers announced that he will soon have a statue outside the Crypto.com arena